This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. DE 101 46 423.1 filed Sep. 20, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a weapon, having a weapon barrel, that is supported displaceably in a cradle from an initial or normal position to a recoil position, and whose breech ring includes a wedge breech block with a breech block wedge that is displaceable, transversely to the bore axis of the weapon barrel from a closed position to an open position
In such weapons, after a shot has been fired, it is known to open the breech block wedge automatically, so that the cartridge shell is ejected by an ejector and a new cartridge can then be reloaded. The automatic opening of the breech block wedge is done here via a piston rod, which is axially displaceable on the breech ring from a normal initial position to an actuating position and which in its normal position, on its side facing toward the cradle, protrudes past the end surface of the breech ring and on its side remote from the cradle acts via intermediate members on an opener lever connected to the breech block wedge, such that a displacement of the piston rod toward the breech block wedge leads to a pivoting motion of the opener lever and thus to an opening of the breech block wedge. Therefore, if after a shot has been fired, upon a forward motion of the weapon barrel from its recoil position to its initial normal position, the piston rod is displaced into its actuating position via a control unit disposed on the cradle, then the breech block wedge is moved to its open position and is kept in this position by the ejector. After that, a new cartridge can be loaded, and the breech block can be displaced into its closed position. In these known weapons, it is disadvantageous that the control units, flanged to or mounted on the barrel cradle in order to guide the piston rod, require a relatively large amount of space and are high in weight.
The object of the invention is to provide a method of the type defined at the outset, with a control unit of compact structure, which by an optimal introduction of force has a lower weight and smaller structural volume than known control units.
This object generally is attained according to the present invention, as discussed below. A number of particularly advantageous features of the invention are disclosed.
The invention is based essentially on the concept of disposing a control unit on the cradle, which includes not only a shift rod, which is displaceable axially toward the muzzle of the weapon barrel counter to the pressure of a first spring and is aligned with the piston rod, but also a control rod, which is displaceable axially toward the muzzle of the weapon barrel counter to the pressure of a second spring and is aligned with the control cam, as well as a detent pawl, which can be pivoted by a cam from a blocking position to a release position. The cam engages a recess in the control rod such that in the initial or normal position of the control rod, the cam presses the detent pawl into a detent groove of the shift rod, so that the shift rod is not axially displaceable, and so that by displacement of the control rod in the direction of the muzzle of the weapon barrel, the cam pivots the detent pawl into its release position and thus out of the detent groove. The lengths of the piston rod and of the shift rod are selected such that the breech block wedge, upon the forward motion of the weapon barrel as a result of the axial displacement of these rods, has already been displaced into its open position before the control cam causes a displacement of the control rod and thus a pivoting of the detent pawl into its release position.
The weapon of the invention has the advantage over known weapons that at the moment the breech block wedge opens, only thrust forces but no torques whatever are exerted via the transmission elements onto the barrel cradle.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the control unit includes a housing that is secured to the cradle, and inside of which the detent pawl, parts of the shift rod, the control rod and the springs are located. The ends of the shift rod and control rod acting, respectively, on the piston rod and the control cam protrude laterally out of the housing of the control unit.
To make it possible to open the breech block wedge manually, as well as after a shot has been fired, according to a further embodiment of the invention, a manually pivotable shift lever, connected to the detent pawl, is disposed on the outside of the housing of the control unit. If the detent pawl is pivoted into the release position by this shift lever, then automatic opening of the breech block wedge upon a forward motion of the weapon barrel does not occur.
It has finally proved especially advantageous to secure the control unit to the end of the cradle near the breech ring, in order to make the shift rod and control rod as short as possible.
Further details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing exemplary embodiments explained in conjunction with the drawings.